Is it Wrong for Women to Preach in Church?

[Strong in Him]

Therein lies the problem.

Only if you regard "feeling" as a fleeting, and changeable, emotion.
It can be.
It can also be a deep conviction that this is what God wants you to do; something which persists however much you try to ignore it and which you can't stop thinking about, however hard you try.
Something which you take to a male vicar/minister and tentatively say, "I'm not sure, but I think God may be asking me to do this", hoping that they will dismiss the idea - only to hear them say, "I think so too/I've been wondering when he would speak to you about that". And you find that he's not the only one who believes that.

God created feelings/emotions/convictions, he gave them to us and can speak to us through them.
I suspect if a man said, "I feel led/that God is calling me to be ordained", there'd be no such challenge.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

It's rebellion to willingly disregard God's teaching.

There is a distinction between rebellion and error. Error potential can be corrected, but continual, willful sin leads to God turning one over to it (see Romans 1)

 

[Waggles]

So you think it is an act of rebellion against God for a woman to give a sermon in a church?

Yes

 

[Waggles]

But a woman who says, "I have been praying and I believe God wants me to preach"

But God does not want a woman to preach or take a leading authority in the church.
Nor to be a pastor, nor a minister, nor a priest, nor a vicar, etc. etc.
God does not contradict his word - he upholds it through the Spirit of truth.

"I believe" has gotten Christianity into the dreadful mess and chaos of today: thousands of
competing doctrines and denominations.
And yet in the beginning: one gospel; one faith; one church.
Get back to the word of God and submit.

 

[Preacher.loveGod]

I don't think it's wrong.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

It can also be a deep conviction that this is what God wants you to do; something which persists however much you try to ignore it and which you can't stop thinking about, however hard you try.

We call that an obsession.

 

[Paidiske]

I suspect if a man said, "I feel led/that God is calling me to be ordained", there'd be no such challenge.

And this is part of the problem. Exactly the sort of experiences of vocation which are affirmed and encouraged in men, are denied and dismissed in women. It's a dishonest double standard.

 

[Adstar]

I read a comment given in response to a video of a woman who gave a sermon in a church.

The commenter asked: "Why is a woman preaching?"

The response he got was: "Today was women's Emphasis Sabbath."

He then responded: "Not being hateful. Just wondering. It just didn't seem to be right."

What are your thoughts about women preaching in church? I know Paul had something to say about women not teaching in the church but remaining silent (1 Tim. 2:12).

Was that Paul's personal belief? Was it a command of God? Did it have anything to do with culture?

Share your thoughts...

I believe Paul was inspired to write what He did in regard to woman being quiet in church and that woman should not have authority over men..

Of course in this world such beliefs are attacked as being politically incorrect but a lot of what Christianity teaches is attacked by today's society.. In the end people who trust God will trust in what He said.. People who want to be pleasers of men will cut out or change anything in the Bible that people find challenging.. Many modern preachers are like Aaron.. The one who made the Hebrews a golden calf for them to worship in the wilderness.. That did not end well and neither will it end well for preachers who change the Bible to conform it to the demands of the current society..

 

[Vicomte13]

The point is to understand what was in Paul's head when he said women should not teach men.

What was in his head was a relationship in which a teacher had an extremely harsh level of disciplinary authority over his disciples. We don't even have an equivalent relationship today--something like the Japanese sensei concept might be close.

But for sure, Paul's idea of "teacher" was not someone in the congregation who merely proclaimed "thus saith the Lord" or who merely expounded the Gospel in CDs sold on television, neither having any authority over anyone.

Women do have authority over men, though. Women who launch businesses, women who are bosses, women who are elected. Women always had authority over men - queens ruled men with the same power that kings did.

And God used women who had command to give messages to men too - Deborah in the Old Testament. In the middle ages, it was the fact that she was God's messenger that gave Joan of Arc the authority such that she was given command over men.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

And this is part of the problem. Exactly the sort of experiences of vocation which are affirmed and encouraged in men, are denied and dismissed in women. It's a dishonest double standard.

It's faithful Christian practice.

To cry, victim, in this particular instance is insincere. This isn't about oppressing woman. It's about obeying God.

 

[Paidiske]

Nobody's crying victim, jimmy. But when obedience to God is oppressive, maybe it's time to re-examine whether something's out of kilter, somewhere (and not just assume the problem is in the one experiencing oppression)?

 

[jimmyjimmy]

Nobody's crying victim, jimmy. But when obedience to God is oppressive, maybe it's time to re-examine whether something's out of kilter, somewhere (and not just assume the problem is in the one experiencing oppression)?

Obedience is difficult on every Christian, but at different points.

We all must exercise self-control and that is painful. We tell our compulsions which are out of line with God's ways, NO! We don't do whatever we feel "led to do". Many men feel led to run off with their secretaries. If they practiced your form of unmitigated self-expression, the divorce rate would be 90%.

Christians don't do what they "feel" is right. They submit thoughts and desires to God's Word. Hitler had a strong feelings too. . .

 

[Paidiske]

Vocation isn't the same as temptation. Nor is temptation usually carefully discerned, tested, submitted to outside scrutiny, and prayed over, in the way vocation is. It's not a reasonable comparison.

And really, a Godwin, on this topic... being compared to Hitler is a new one even for me.

 

[AlexDTX]

I read a comment given in response to a video of a woman who gave a sermon in a church.

The commenter asked: "Why is a woman preaching?"

The response he got was: "Today was women's Emphasis Sabbath."

He then responded: "Not being hateful. Just wondering. It just didn't seem to be right."

What are your thoughts about women preaching in church? I know Paul had something to say about women not teaching in the church but remaining silent (1 Tim. 2:12).

Was that Paul's personal belief? Was it a command of God? Did it have anything to do with culture?

Share your thoughts...

Why do we assume Paul is referring to preaching? Could it be chit chat that was distracting the flow of the Spirit? Paul's letter was to house churches not to organized religion as we know it today. Preaching was not done to the saints, but in evangelism to the lost. When the saints gathered, the Spirit spoke through his body as one brought a song, or another a prophecy or another brought a word of encouragement. Chit chat would be insensitive to the promptings of the Spirit.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

Paul said, "I do not permit a woman to teach..."

yes exactly,

Paul was an apostle who like the prophets of old spoke the Words of God(ephesians 2:19-20 ephesians 3:4-7, 2 peter 1:19-21, 2 thessolonians 2:15)

so unless you're going to say that some parts of scripture are not God breathed(2 timothy 3:16-17), then Paul's command as an apostles is all that is required.

 

[GTW27]

Blessings in Christ Jesus! The Lord has annoited me to preach the Gospel. That Gospel, starts with the word "In" and ends with the word "Amen" What is between these words will remain, for they are Holy and True. "Heaven and earth may pass away but My words will never pass away." Paul said, "It is not I that live but Christ in me." So why does man try to change the words that came through him? They say what they mean, and they mean what they say. These same words have come through these lips and it is 2000 years later. Has the message changed when The Lord has said "I The Lord do not change". What is written is settled in heaven and on earth.

 

[dreadnought]

It doesn't matter. God, if he wished, could establish a commandment through Paul's personal belief. What we do know is that Paul was speaking with the authority of God in those epistles.



He didn't.

He did both, I think. Paul was a great man but he isn't our Lord.

 

[dreadnought]

First, you have set up a strawman argument. I don't think anyone in this thread has proposed or is arguing "women are not allowed to talk in church."

The issue has been, "preaching" from the OP, which needs clarification of whether one means "teaching" or "prophesying" or "expounding the gospel" -- three very different things.

Paul's only law is this:

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. Romans 14

Therefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. 1 Corinthians 8

And this is merely a corollary to:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

If we remember again what it meant in Paul's time to be a disciple under the complete authority of a master--something we don't even do in congregations today--it makes perfect sense that he would not mix the sexes in such a relationship, but have men disciple men and women disciple women.

If it's okay for women to talk in church, and I think it is, why shouldn't they be allowed to preach?

 

[-57]

Never could figure out why God would appoint women as Prophetesses and in the same breath say that they couldn't teach...someone's is lying or misunderstanding something. I also think of Acts 18:26, keyword being "they", neither one was singled out.

I think we have different roles to play in this world, the insistence that women not being allowed to lead us spiritually somehow makes them inferior, or lesser, is incorrect.

Difference, does not mean subordinate.

Maybe it was Paul's personal opinion. I really don't know. But I have offered mine and any offense I may cause is unintended.

Another situation where the obvious is ignored in favor of cultural preference.

From my limited understanding, 1 Tim. 2:12 was addressing how people were conducting themselves in the Church where we are led to believe there was excessive arguing where the women were talking over the men and disrupting the body of Christ and Paul's letter to Timothy is addressing this.

Women, all over the world, in all kinds of churches, feel themselves led to preach. Whether they are allowed to or not in their particular context, they face hostility if they dare articulate that leading and seek authority from the church to do so.

Paul tells us we are under no law, and then creates a law that women are not allowed to talk in a church. Paul is a great man, and we have much to learn from him, but I take my cue from Jesus, who told us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

What I think Paul is basically saying is that no Woman should be in control of a man spiritually.

Why would anyone have a problem with someone man or woman speaking gods word.

It had to do with the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden.

Why is it that almost everyone here who has some sort of comment.... didn't read the next verse?

 

[-57]

If it's okay for women to talk in church, and I think it is, why shouldn't they be allowed to preach?

Did you read the next verse?